Som Tam (Thai Green Papaya Salad): A Medicinal Look at a Beloved Dish

The idea for this post came to me over lunch, while listening to natural remedy expert Simon Mills in conversation with Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO. They were talking about food, medicine, and the ancient ways people understood ingredients not just as fuel but as protectors, healers, even guardians against evil. It made me wonder: what if we look at well-known dishes through the lens of their medicinal properties? Not every recipe would shine in this light, but some — like my lunch today, a Thai green papaya salad, Som Tam — seem to carry centuries of wisdom right on the plate.

Som Tam | Thai Green Papaya Salad Recipe

It might be unnerving for Thai cooks to see a green papaya salad made without a mortar. But the truth is, pounding is only necessary if the papaya shreds are large. A julienne mandoline makes quick work of papaya, turning it into tender shreds. Mix them with green beans, sliced tomatoes, and the dressing in a bowl, squeeze and stir it with your hands (gloves if you like), and your salad is ready.

This version is adjusted to my preferences: the heat is about 3 out of 10, enough for brightness without overwhelming the other flavors. Green papaya is simply unripe papaya, and you’ll find it — along with the rest of the ingredients — in most Asian markets.

Thai Green Papaya Salad

Ingredients (2 servings)

Salad

• 4 cups green papaya, shredded

• 6 green beans, fresh, raw

• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 key lime, thinly sliced

Dressing

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 Tbsp dried shrimp

• 1 ½ Tbsp brown sugar (adjust to taste)

• 1 ½ Tbsp peanut butter (or cashew butter, or nuts of choice)

• 2 Tbsp fish sauce (adjust to taste)

• 2 Tbsp key lime juice (adjust to taste)

• 1 Thai red chili pepper (adjust to taste)

Garnish

• 4 cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 green beans, thinly sliced

• 2 tsp peanuts or cashews, crushed

Instructions

Smash a garlic clove. Stem and deseed the Thai chili, then chop it. Mash garlic, chili, sugar, and dried shrimp into a paste using a mortar. Incorporate peanut butter (or cashews, or peanuts) into the paste. Add fish sauce and freshly squeezed key lime juice. Stir and taste, adjusting as needed.

Peel and halve the papaya, scraping out the seeds with a spoon. Shred it finely — about 1 pound yields 4 cups. Halve the tomatoes and bruise the green beans (I like slicing them shorter as well). This helps them release their juices and flavor into the salad.

Place shredded papaya, bruised green beans, sliced tomatoes, key lime, and about three-quarters of the dressing into a bowl. Mix, squeeze, and stir everything together with your hands (gloves if your skin is sensitive to chili). Let the salad rest for a few minutes so the flavors can develop.

Som Tam, Thai green papaya salad with fresh ahi tuna and hamachi.

Portion the salad and garnish with halved tomatoes, sliced key lime, beans, and crushed nuts. Enjoy immediately while it’s fresh and vibrant.

See this short on my YouTube channel for visual help!

The Medicinal Lens

Here’s where it gets interesting: each ingredient in Som Tam has a story — sometimes backed by modern science, sometimes carried by centuries of folklore, and often both.

Green Papaya (Unripe Papaya)

Green papaya is full of papain, a powerful digestive enzyme that helps break down proteins and ease digestion. It’s refreshing and light, and in many Southeast Asian cuisines, it’s valued as a tonic food. But there’s a caution: traditional medicine in several cultures, including parts of Asia and Polynesia, used unripe papaya and papaya seeds as an abortifacient. Modern animal studies confirm that the latex in unripe papaya can stimulate uterine contractions and even prevent implantation.

In older herbal manuals, papaya was listed as both a digestive aid and a way to “bring on menstruation.” So — a wonderful fruit for digestion and gut health, but probably to be avoided during pregnancy.

Garlic

Garlic needs no introduction. Rich in allicin and other sulfur compounds, it supports cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, boosts immunity, and even helps cultivate good gut bacteria while discouraging harmful microbes. Folklore took this property further: garlic was once seen as a weapon against evil.

“In old times, garlic was considered a weapon against the devil. Good creatures loved it, bad ones fled.” Whether you believe in devils or not, it seems your microbiome agrees.

Thai Chili

Chili peppers bring more than fire. The compound capsaicin supports circulation, increases metabolic rate, and has anti-inflammatory properties. Traditional healers used chili to “warm the blood” and awaken appetite. Modern science sees it as a metabolic stimulator and a natural mood-booster thanks to endorphins. A small piece of chili in Som Tam does more than season the salad — it enlivens the body.

Key Lime

Lime juice adds sparkle and balance, but also vitamin C, antioxidants, and support for iron absorption. In traditional seafaring days, citrus was the difference between wellness and scurvy. In Som Tam, it’s the cleansing, refreshing counterpoint to the richness of fish sauce and nuts.

Dried Shrimp

These tiny shrimp are mineral powerhouses. Because they are eaten whole, shells and all, they deliver a good dose of calcium (500–1200 mg per 100 g), along with iodine, zinc, and protein. Historically, in many Asian cuisines, dried shrimp and dried anchovies were essential calcium sources where dairy wasn’t central to the diet. In Chinese food therapy, dried shrimp (xia mi) were said to “strengthen the bones and kidneys” — not far from what nutrition science confirms.

Fish Sauce

I recommend a pure version, like Red Boat Fish Sauce, made from wild black anchovies and sea salt. First cold-pressed, it has no additives, a clean taste, and a high natural protein content. Fish sauce has a long global history: the Romans made garum, a nearly identical sauce, and in southern Italy today, colatura di alici still carries that tradition forward.

Pliny the Elder wrote that garum was “so pleasant that it could be drunk.” (I personally prefer it in salad!)

Nuts (Peanuts vs. Cashews)

Traditionally, Som Tam is finished with peanuts, but I often use cashews, my favorite. Both have their gifts:

• Peanuts (technically legumes) are high in protein, niacin, folate, and resveratrol (the same antioxidant found in red wine). They’re hearty and earthy, but also a common allergen.

• Cashews are rich in magnesium, copper, and vitamin K, with healthy fats that support heart and bone health. They’re a little sweeter and creamier, and they contain anacardic acids — compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.Both add crunch and satiety, balancing the freshness of papaya with richness and depth.

Som Tam — A Small Encyclopedia of Food as Medicine

Som Tam isn’t just a refreshing salad; it’s a small encyclopedia of food as medicine. Garlic supports immunity, papaya aids digestion (with an important caution), shrimp fortifies bones, lime boosts vitamin C, chili awakens blood circulation, and nuts nourish the heart and mind. All of that, woven together in one vibrant bowl.

Thai green papaya salad with hamachi.

It makes me wonder: how many of our favorite dishes carry hidden medicinal stories we’ve forgotten? And what happens when we start tasting them not just for flavor, but for the quiet ways they’ve been protecting and supporting us for centuries?